#8 Ali Kazim´s “Conference of the Birds”
Ali Kazim, Lahore Biennale 02, 2020
Conference of the Birds
April 24, 2024. 6pm
Talk with Ali Kazim
“They travelled on for years, a lifetime passed before the longed-for destination reached at last.
what happened to stay, flew, I cannot say.
of many who set out, no trace was found.
some deep within the ocean's depth were drowned,
some died on mountains tops,
some died of heat,
some flew too near to the sun, their hearts on fire with love, their wings and feathers burned to ash.
some met their death between the lion's claws and some were tripped to death by monster's jaws,
some died of thirst,
some hunger sent and seen until suicide released them from pain,
some became weak and could no longer fly.
[…..]
a world of birds set out and there remained but thirty,
when the promised goal was gained,
thirty exhausted, wretched broken things, with hopeless hearts and trailing wings.
[…..]
time passed, then from the highest carts there flew herald of the starry retinue, who saw thirty birds,
trembling, afraid, their bodies, broken.
the Herald said," what city are you from? what race? what business brings you to this distant place?
what are your names? you seem destroyed by fear, what made you leave your homes and travel here?
what were you in the world? what use are you? what can the weak and clumsy creatures do?"
The Conference of the Birds, translated by Afkham Dabranid and Dick Davis, Penguin Books, 1984
In many different forms, the artist Ali Kazim recreates the journey of those birds who set off in search of the Simorgh in Attar’s Conference of the Birds and find themselves and their faith in their quest. Guided by the idea that the spiritual encounter ultimately enables a discovery of beauty and the divine, Kazim reactivates Attar's 800-year-old tale in his multimedia artworks. Whether it is the 3000 bird sculptures made of clay and dried in the sun, which disintegrate when it rains, as he showed in an installation at the Lahore Biennale 2020, or the detailed bird drawings that unite to form a collective led by a hoopoe, Kazim creates new contexts and allows viewers to immerse themselves in these birds’ world. At the same time, he also allows us to participate in the lessons that the past holds for the present.
For the exhibition Valleys of the Simorgh, which will be on display rom 27 June to 20 July 2024, he will create a textile work together with Maheen Kazim that will provide a new angle on the Conference of the Birds.
Beforehand, however, on 24 April, he will tell us about his personal connection to Attar’s tale in an evening lecture and explain how it became a source of inspiration for him, as it gives shape to the „perpetual and collective human desire for ultimate spiritual unity“
Guest:
Ali Kazim (* 1979 in Pakistan) Currently he lives and works in Lahore, Pakistan. He also works as assistant professor at the National College of Arts, Lahore. He received his BFA degree from the National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan in 2002 and an MFA from the Slade School of Fine Art, London, UK, in 2011. His work exhibited widely in solo and group shows internationally.
He has received a number of awards and artist residencies including; artist in residence at Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; inaugural Karachi Biennale jury prize; Finalists for the Catlin Prize, UK; The Art House Residency, Wakefield, UK; The Land Securities Studio Award, London, UK; Melvill Nettleship Prize for Figure Composition, UCL, London; Art OMI artist residency, New York, USA; Young Painter Award, Lahore Arts Council, Pakistan; ROSL Travel Scholarship: Residency at Hospital Field, Scotland, UK; Vasl Residency (Triangle Arts Trust), Karachi, Pakistan; International Artist Camp, George Kyet Foundation, Sri Lanka. His work is in the collection of the Tate, UK; British Museum UK; Victoria and Albert Museum UK; Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; Metropolitan Museum NYC; Asia Pacific Museum, USA; Rose Art museum, USA; Queensland Art Gallery Australia; Qatar Museums, Qatar; Burger Collection Hong Kong; Creative Cities Collection, Beijing; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, India; Devi Art Foundation, Delhi, India; Samdani Foundation, Dhaka; Durjoy Foundation, Dhaka ; Kemal Lazar Foundation, Tunisia, Islamabad Airport, Pakistan.
DEUTSCH
Auf vielfältige Weise bringt der Künstler Ali Kazim die Reise jener Vögel, die sich in Attars Konferenz der Vögel auf die Suche nach dem Simorgh begeben und dabei sich selbst und den Glauben finden, zur Darstellung. Geleitet von der Idee, dass die spirituelle Begegnung letztlich eine Entdeckung der Schönheit und des Göttlichen ermöglicht, reaktiviert Kazim in seinen multimedialen Arbeiten die 800 Jahre alte Erzählung Attars. Ob es nun die 3000 aus Ton gefertigten und in der Sonne getrockneten Vogelplastiken sind, die bei Regen zerfallen, wie er in einer Installation auf der Lahore Biennale 2020 zeigte, oder die detailreichen Vogelzeichnungen, die sich zu einem Kollektiv vereinen, das von einem Wiedehopf angeleitet wird; Kazim schafft neue Kontexte und lässt die Betrachtenden in die Welt der Vögel eintauchen. Damit lässt er uns aber zugleich auch daran teilhaben, welche Lehren die Vergangenheit für die Gegenwart bereithält.
Für die Ausstellung Valleys of the Simorgh, die vom 27. Juni bis 20. Juli 2024 zu sehen sein wird, wird er gemeinsam mit Maheen Kazim eine Textilarbeit anfertigen, die eine neue Seite der Konferenz der Vögel bereithalten wird.
Doch zunächst wird er uns am 24. April bei einem Abendvortrag von seinem persönlichen Bezug zu Attars Erzählung berichten und darlegen, wie sie für ihn zur Quelle der Inspiration wurde, da sie dem „immerwährenden und kollektiven menschlichen Wunsch nach ultimativer spiritueller Einheit“ Gestalt verleiht.
Ali Kazim (*1979 in Pakistan) lebt und arbeitet in Lahore, Pakistan. Er erwarb 2002 einen BFA-Abschluss am National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan, und 2011 einen MFA-Abschluss an der Slade School of Fine Art in London, UK. Seine Werke befinden sich in den Sammlungen des Tate, UK; British Museum UK; Victoria and Albert Museum UK; Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; Metropolitan Museum NYC; Asia Pacific Museum, USA; Rose Art museum, USA; Queensland Art Gallery Australia; Qatar Museums, Qatar; Burger Collection Hong Kong; Creative Cities Collection, Beijing; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, India; Devi Art Foundation, Delhi, India; Samdani Foundation, Dhaka; Durjoy Foundation, Dhaka ; Kemal Lazar Foundation, Tunisia, Islamabad Airport, Pakistan.
Er hat eine Reihe von Auszeichnungen erhalten, unter internationale Residencies absovliert, darunter; artist in residence at Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; inaugural Karachi Biennale jury prize; Finalists for the Catlin Prize, UK; The Art House Residency, Wakefield, UK; The Land Securities Studio Award, London, UK; Melvill Nettleship Prize for Figure Composition, UCL, London; Art OMI artist residency, New York, USA; Young Painter Award, Lahore Arts Council, Pakistan; ROSL Travel Scholarship: Residency at Hospital Field, Scotland, UK; Vasl Residency (Triangle Arts Trust), Karachi, Pakistan; International Artist Camp, George Kyet Foundation, Sri Lanka.
TÄLER DES SIMORGH
Ein Transhistorisches Streben nach Gleichheit und Demokratie
Seit September 2022 protestieren die Menschen im Iran für einen Regimewechsel, Demokratie, Freiheit, Gleichheit und Menschenrechte. Diese Protestbewegung, die zunächst von Frauen und Mädchen unter Einsatz ihres Lebens begonnen wurde, hat sich zu einer feministisch-intersektionellen Revolution ausgeweitet. Menschen aus verschiedenen marginalisierten Gruppen schlossen sich zusammen und versuchen gemeinsam, Demokratie und Gleichheit im Iran zu etablieren. Sie bilden eine Einheit der Vielfalt, ähnlich wie der Simorgh in Farid Al-Din Attars Konferenz der Vögel (geschrieben im 12. Jahrhundert). Aus einer transhistorischen und transkulturellen Perspektive soll das Projekt die Bedeutung dieses Epos für die heutige Zeit hervorheben und die Rolle von Kunst und Literatur im Kampf für Gleichberechtigung untersuchen.
Wir laden Sie herzlich ein, an unseren Veranstaltungen teilzunehmen, bei denen Künstler:innen ihre Arbeiten vorstellen und mit uns über das Nachleben der Konferenz der Vögel diskutieren.
Kunst & Forschung . Fokus Relationale Forschung an der Universität für Angewandte Kunst Wien
Institut für Kunstgeschichte (Universtität für Angewandte Kunst Wien)
ENGLISH
ABOUT
Valleys of the Simorgh
A transhistorical Quest for Equality and Democracy
Since September 2022 people in Iran have been protesting for regime change, democracy, freedom, equality and human rights. This protest movement, initially started by women and girls at the risk of their lives, expanded into a feminist-intersectional revolution. People from different marginalized groups joined together and collectively try to establish democracy and equality in Iran. They build a union of diversity, similar to the Simorgh in Farid Al-Din Attar’s Conference of the Birds (written in the 12th century). From a transhistorical as well as transcultural perspective, the project aims to highlight the significance of this epic for today and to explore the role of art and literature in the struggle for equality rights.
We warmly invite you to participate in our events where artists present their work and discuss with us the afterlife of the Conference of the Birds.
Art & Research - Focus Related Research at the University of Applied Arts Vienna
Institute for Art History (University of Applied Arts Vienna)
Video: Barbara Seifert
Photos: Jakob Lindner
Dieses Forschungsprojekt wurde teilweise von der Universität für Angewandte Kunst finanziert. / This research project is partially funded by the University of Applied Arts.
